fragments of an alternative future

Custom alphanumeric LED display, microcontroller, electromagnetic relays

Fragments of an Alternative Future is a large-scale segmented LED display constructed around a custom alphanumeric grid capable of rendering the entire Arabic alphabet—including over 100 unique letterforms. Designed using a 31-segment structure (Fig. 1), the grid allows for the modular assembly of Arabic characters typically excluded from conventional 7- or 14-segment Latin display architectures.

The project functions as both a typographic system and an electromechanical artifact. Each segment is individually controlled via microcontroller and electromagnetic relays, enabling the programming of dynamic characters in C++ (Fig. 3). The grid operates at the intersection of hardware design, linguistic structure, and computational logic.

Rooted in the broader Alternative Typographic Histories research, the work critiques historical moments of typographic regression—periods when Arabic was forced to adapt to digital infrastructures not built with its structural complexity in mind (Nemeth, 2017). In doing so, it speculates on what could have emerged had the technological foundations been different—offering a system that reflects the unique requirements and aesthetics of Arabic script, rather than one retrofitted to suit another language’s limitations